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Upper Peninsula county guide
Chippewa County Hunting
Hunting Chippewa County in 2026-27: the Upper Peninsula deer rules, every DMU that crosses the county line, antlerless license limits, disease rules, public land, towns, services and legal light.
Photo: Joe Passe (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Some 1,559 square miles of land lie inside Chippewa County, and Sault Ste. Marie is the seat. Roughly 36,253 residents in 2024 means close to 23 people per square mile. All of it lies in deer Zone 1, covered by 5 deer management units. Walk-in DNR help is at Sault Ste. Marie, 14 miles from the middle of the county. The county is part of DNR Law Enforcement District 2. Hunters can pick among 9 public properties here, the biggest being Drummond Island State Lands.
Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates (population), DNR region from the DNR wildlife region layer, deer zones from the DNR zone layer, law enforcement districts from the DNR district layer, customer service centers from the DNR contact page. Checked October 22, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Chippewa County
Chippewa County dates from September to March
Chippewa County is in Upper Peninsula Zone 1. The 39 rows below are the dated hunts the DNR summaries put there.
| Game | Season | Where | Begins | Through | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Liberty Hunt | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, early | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Independence Hunt | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Regular firearm | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, late | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Upper Peninsula | Dec 4, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 | Drummond Island BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 | Newberry BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 2 | Newberry BMU | Sep 14, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 3 | Newberry BMU | Sep 25, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Fall unit M | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Fall first part | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Fall second part | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Sharp-tailed grouse | Fall | Eastern UP unit | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Woodcock | Fall | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 | |
| Fox and gray squirrel | Private-land season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Fox and gray squirrel | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Private-land season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Crow | Summer | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Crow | Late winter | Statewide | Feb 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 1 | North Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | North Zone | Nov 28, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Waterfowl | Veterans days | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Waterfowl | Youth weekend | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 1 | North Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | North Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Management season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Red and gray fox | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Management season | Statewide | Mar 2, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | |
| Coyote | Regular hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Bobcat Unit A | Jan 1, 2027 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Feral swine | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Opossum | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Skunk | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Woodchuck | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Michigan Department of Natural Resources 2026 hunting regulation summaries (deer, bear, elk, turkey, small game, waterfowl and furbearer editions), checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County deer units and antlerless limits
DMU 017, DMU 048, DMU 117, DMU 249 and DMU 349 are closed to universal antlerless licenses for 2026. The two antlerless-only firearm hunts are Lower Peninsula only. Upper Peninsula antler rules: combo regular tag 3+ points, restricted tag 4+ points, in firearm seasons.
| Deer unit | Name | Unit type | Licenses usable | Antler points | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 017 | Sault Ste. Marie unit | UP unit | Closed | UP rules | 785 |
| DMU 048 | Newberry unit | UP unit | Closed | UP rules | 445 |
| DMU 117 | Drummond island unit | Island/special area | Closed | 3+ points, 1 buck | 184 |
| DMU 249 | Trout lake unit | UP unit | Closed | UP rules | 402 |
| DMU 349 | Engadine unit | UP unit | Closed | UP rules | 282 |
November firearm
Firearm deer opens Nov. 15 and closes Nov 30, 2026; muzzleloader Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Two archery segments
Archery runs Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026 and again Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Special hunts
The Liberty Hunt for youth and hunters with disabilities is Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026; the Independence Hunt is Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026.
Deer bait
You may bait deer in Chippewa County from Sept. 15, keeping each site to 2 gallons.
All DMU pages · Antlerless limits by county
Units from the Wildlife Conservation Order chapter XII and the county-to-unit list, use limits from the 2026 deer summary, early and late antlerless counties from the WCO list, antler rules from WCO 3.101l, baiting from the deer summary, reported harvest by unit from the DNR harvest report summary. Checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County acres open to hunters
9 listed properties reach into Chippewa County; acres for properties that cross a county line are for the whole property. State forest land adds 194,160 acres in Chippewa County, managed by the Newberry Forest Management Unit and Sault Ste. Marie Forest Management Unit FMUs. Hiawatha National Forest adds 243,542 acres of federal land. Chippewa County has 285 Commercial Forest parcels (52,863 acres) that hunters may enter on foot. Chippewa County has 5,502 HAP acres on 28 properties.
- State wildlife areas: 1Drummond Island State Lands (47,380 ac)
- State parks, 1 listedTahquamenon Falls State Park (47,140 ac*)
- Floodings (SWMAs) in the county (4)Munuscong Wildlife Management Area (19,288 ac), Potagannissing Flooding Wildlife Management Area (2,563 ac), Cranberry Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (263 ac), Drummond Island Pigeon Cove Flooding Wildlife Management Area (160 ac)
- Grouse sites (GEMS), 1 listedDrummond Island Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) (2,854 ac)
- Recreation areas: 1Lime Island Recreation Area (917 ac)
- National wildlife refuges, 1 listedHarbor Island National Wildlife Refuge (720 ac)
- State forest by management unitNewberry Forest Management Unit (70,220 ac in county), Sault Ste. Marie Forest Management Unit (123,940 ac in county)
- USDA Forest Service landHiawatha National Forest (243,542 ac in county), Sault Ste. Marie Ranger District (Hiawatha National Forest)
Worth the drive next door: Strickler Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) 2,166 ac, 39 miles out.
Skip Brimley State Park and Sullivan Creek National Fish Hatchery; the DNR lists no hunting there.
Land by DNR type · State forests by FMU · Federal land · CF rules · Hunting Access Program
Public land from the DNR wildlife property, park hunting-land and managed-lands layers and federal records; state forest acres from the DNR state forest lands (LOTS parcels); national forest acres from USFS land statistics; Commercial Forest acres from the DNR Commercial Forest program; HAP from the DNR HAP property list. Acres within 10 miles of the county seat are a GIS measure. Checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County deer, year by year
Chippewa County produced 983 reported deer in 2025, 73rd among Michigan's 83 counties. Reporting began in 2022, when the county logged 1,142 (-14% since). The 2026 license year is under way: 139 reports as of Oct. 22.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | 88 | 51 | 139 |
| 2025 | 856 | 127 | 983 |
| 2024 | 934 | 127 | 1,061 |
| 2023 | 825 | 175 | 1,000 |
| 2022 | 928 | 214 | 1,142 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Deer disease rules, Chippewa County
The DNR county list shows no CWD-positive deer in Chippewa County. Results for Chippewa County: 178 tested and 0 positive in 2024 and 126 tested and 0 positive in 2025. No CWD or TB test is required to donate from Chippewa County.
| Year | Tests | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 126 | 0 |
| 2024 | 178 | 0 |
CWD core area and zone · Bait and feeding by peninsula
CWD areas and county lists from the 2026 deer summary and the WCO; tests by county from the DNR CWD testing data (results current to 10/16/2026 for 2026); TB from the deer summary; donation testing from the Hunters Feeding Michigan county lists. Checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County bear, turkey and upland units
Bear numbers
Newberry and Drummond Island set the bear quotas for Chippewa County. Registered bears for these units in 2025: 342 (preliminary).
| Unit | Period | 2026 season | Quota | Nonres. | 2025 first choice | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 1 | Sept. 9–Oct. 21 | 200 | 10 | 1,865 | 9–10 |
| Newberry | 2 | Sept. 14–Oct. 26 | 200 | 10 | 1,132 | 5–6 |
| Newberry | 3 | Sept. 25–Oct. 26 | 480 | 24 | 1,675 | 1–2 |
| Drummond Island | 1 | Sept. 9–Oct. 21 | 8 | 0 | 199 | 21–22 |
| BMU | Bears 2024 | Bears 2025* | Survey success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 329 | 334 | 46% |
| Drummond Island | 5 | 8 | 58% |
Turkeys in Chippewa County
Unit M sets the spring hunts in Chippewa County; 2027 dates are pending. Unit M covers fall turkey, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. 82 gobblers were reported from Chippewa County in spring 2026. In fall 2025, 110 hunters tried Chippewa County (49% success by survey).
| Unit | Spring 2026 | Licenses | Hunt no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | April 18–May 31 | 6,000 | 0110 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Units for birds and furbearers
The sharptail unit covers part of Chippewa County.
Compare bear units · All turkey units
Bear units from the DNR bear unit layer; quotas, applicants and points from the 2026 bear summary; registrations from the same summary (2025 preliminary) and survey success from the DNR bear harvest reports; turkey hunts from the spring 2026 and fall 2026 summaries, reported turkeys from the turkey harvest report summary, fall 2025 survey from the DNR turkey report; elk from the elk summary and DNR elk report; bird units from the small game, waterfowl and furbearer summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County legal hunting light
The DNR hunting-time map splits the state into Zones A to D from east to west. Each step west adds 6 minutes to the Zone A times below.
| Date | Moment | Zone A hours | Zone B hours | Zone C hours | Zone D hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:59 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 7:58 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Independence Hunt | 7:15 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 7:36 p.m. | 7:33 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. |
| Nov 15, 2026 | Firearm opener | 6:53 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 6:06 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Firearm close | 7:11 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 7:29 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | December hunts | 7:16 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 5:51 p.m. | 7:34 a.m. to 5:57 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Late archery close | 7:31 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:37 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:43 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 7:49 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. |
Zone A times from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer hunting hours table, zone offsets from the DNR hunting hours map legend, checked October 22, 2026. Hunting hours for every zone.
Chippewa County towns, plus bordering counties
Start from a Chippewa County town: its page lists land in reach and the closest processors.
- Sault Ste. Marieseat of county · 13,288 people · 2,983 mapped public acres nearby
- Brimley66,132 mapped public acres nearby
- De Tour Village263 people · 13,609 mapped public acres nearby
- Kincheloe40,896 mapped public acres nearby
Chippewa County touches 3 other Michigan counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Chippewa County DNR offices and hunting businesses
Gas stations and grocery counters that only sell licenses are left out; these are hunting shops.
DNR doors closest to Chippewa County
Customer service centers sell licenses and answer questions on weekdays; call ahead, since hours vary.
Taxidermists
Game bird preserves and guides
Hunting shops nearby
DNR customer service centers and field offices from the DNR contact page; processors from the Hunters Feeding Michigan list, DNR disease sample sites and directory listings; preserves from the DNR game bird preserve directory; shops from the DNR license agent map (license-only counters removed) and directories. Checked October 22, 2026; call ahead. All Michigan hunting services.
Chippewa County burn ban and campfire rules
Chippewa County status today: open the Michigan county list.
- Permit season: Any time the ground is not snow-covered.
- Counties where DNR burn permits are not issued electronically (southern Lower Peninsula; local fire dept/government issues permits): Chippewa County is not on this list.
- Ban orders: (1) The DNR sets daily burn permit status by county and township ('No' = no open debris burning allowed).
- Fires on public land: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Where Chippewa County hunters sight in
Chippewa County: 2 ranges, covering clubs, indoor bays and archery as listed.
Disciplines: sporting clays, shotgun
Disciplines: trap, skeet, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire
About 90 miles away, Voyer Lake Shooting Range is the closest range on DNR land. Full page
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County, dinners, classes and hunts
On file for this county: 1 upcoming event (DU sportsmen's night).
Dates ahead
| When | Event | Location | Tickets or entry | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | Eastern UP SNO Event / DU sportsmen's night | Elks Lodge 552 in Sault Ste. Marie (Chippewa Co.) | Buy tickets | Source |
Chippewa County: short answers
How many deer were reported in Chippewa County in 2025?
983: 856 antlered and 127 antlerless.
Can I use deer urine lures in Chippewa County?
Only certified, tested and labeled products; other natural cervid urine lures are banned statewide.
May hunters bait deer in Chippewa County?
Yes, Sept. 15-Jan. 1, up to 2 gallons per site.
How do I register a bear from Chippewa County?
Present the unfrozen head and hide at a DNR registration station within 72 hours.
Does hunter orange apply to turkey hunters in Chippewa County?
No. Turkey hunters are exempt from the orange rule.
Which Chippewa County property has the most acres?
Drummond Island State Lands, at 47,380 acres on our list.
Do I still take deer to a check station in Chippewa County?
No; reporting is online or in the app. Heads for testing are taken only after reporting.
Do I need hunter orange in Chippewa County?
Yes, from Aug. 15 through April 30 while taking game, with listed exceptions.
Is there a limited firearms zone in Chippewa County?
No. The zone was eliminated for 2026; all legal firearms may be used.
Which DMU numbers apply in Chippewa County?
DMU 017, DMU 048, DMU 117, DMU 249 and DMU 349, from the county-to-unit list in the deer summary.
Answers from the DNR 2026 regulation summaries, harvest reporting rules, MCL 324.40116, DNR harvest and CWD data and the sources cited above. Checked October 22, 2026.
Chippewa County checks before the drive
Where this page and the DNR summaries differ, follow the summaries and the WCO.
Sources: DNR 2026 hunting regulation summaries, Wildlife Conservation Order, township restrictions list, Michigan DNR hunting, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Dawn Endico (CC BY-SA 2.0); Joetography LLC (CC BY-SA 2.0); Joe Passe (CC BY-SA 2.0); Rick B Briggs (CC BY 2.0).